A/N: This is not a one shot. And I'm not the lucky one who owns the world of Harry Potter. It's going to follow Snape, obviously. It should stay canon compliant. No James bashing unless completely necessary. Which I'm beginning to find is really necessary. Sigh. I like him. Comments?

Strangely, Lily was difficult to find the next day, even though he had long memorised her timetable. She seemed to melt away into the crowd. He would get a glimpse of dark red hair, but by the time he shouldered his way through the crowd, the only ones there would be her friends, talking and giggling and, once they caught sight of him, staring at him as though he were a freak.

The same happened the next day, and the day after, and the day after that. Finally, in desperation, he cornered one of her friends. "Macdonald, where's Lily?"

"None of your business, Snape," she said coolly. "Now beat it."

"I'm warning you, Macdonald, now tell me where she is!"

"You're not getting it out of me even with the Cruciatus Curse."

Snarling, he pulled out his wand but suddenly Potter was there.

"Whoa, hold it there, Snivellus," Potter said almost genially. "Hexing a girl – didn't think even you would go that low."

The rest of Potter's gang was there too; Black smirking, Lupin looking distant, and a disgustingly eager expression crawling all over Pettigrew's face.

His long held frustration and fury erupted and he yelled, "Sectumsempra!"

But Potter was too fast and it merely bounced off his Shield Charm.

"Silencio!" cried Black and he found himself unable to utter a single spell. But before he could dangle Potter in midair, a voice came from behind him. "Snape, Potter, what is the meaning of this?"

They turned around to see McGonagall standing there. She did not look amused.

Unable to say anything, he was forced to stand there as Potter smiled innocently. "Nothing, Professor. Just showing Snape here how to do a Shield Charm."

"James stopped Snape from jinxing me, Professor," said the idiot Macdonald girl. Snape shot her a filthy look, which she ignored.

McGonagall's eyebrows drew together. "Snape, I expect better behaviour from a fifth year. Ten points from Slytherin. Get to wherever it is you're supposed to be now, all of you. And, Potter, try not to get into any trouble along the way. Exam stress is not an acceptable reason for duelling in the corridors."

Snape turned on his heel and strode down the corridor, still furious, but not before he saw the adoring look Macdonald was giving Potter. He arrived at the common room, dropped on a sofa and nudged Mulciber in the ribs none too gently.

Mulciber turned and said, "What?"

He scribbled a few words on a piece of parchment and shoved it over to him. Mulciber read it and a flash of understanding crossed his face. He pulled out his wand and muttered, "Finite Incantatem."

"Thanks," Snape said shortly and turned away.

"Potter and his lot?"

"Who else?" he said bitterly.

"You could jinx them good, you know. Lucius says his dad taught him a new spell when he went back during the holidays, and Avery and I tried it on Macdonald the other day. We almost succeeded too, if it hadn't been for Flitwick – you heard what happened?" A smirk crossed his face.

"Yeah." He remembered Lily saying something about it.

"Would have been worth the detention we got if Flitwick had come along five minutes later. I could show you how to do it…" Mulciber looked around, then left the common room. His voice echoed from the dungeons beyond. "There's a Mudblood over there – excellent. Come on, Severus."

Snape followed him out half-heartedly, not really caring about whatever spell it was that Mulciber had. It wasn't worth his time. The only spell he wanted to use on Potter was Sectumsempra; or maybe the Cruciatus Curse.

"OK, it's plagravestri, drag the 'pla' out a bit longer and do a sort of jab on 'ves'. Here, I'll demonstrate."

Snape looked up just in time. He saw Lily's figure retreating down the corridor, a pile of books in her arms and Mulciber's wand pointed at her back.

"No!" He lunged for Mulciber and knocked his arm away just as Mulciber opened his mouth.

"What the – Snape, are you crazy?" Mulciber yelped.

"She's… she's a Prefect, you idiot, you might as well attack Flitwick himself if you want a detention that badly."

"Oh… oh right, I'd forgotten," said Mulciber. "That Evans, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"Ah well." He shrugged. "Pity." He turned and went back to the common room. "Severus, aren't you coming? We've got Charms OWL next…"

"No, I've got something to do," he threw over his shoulder, already starting after Lily.

She didn't appear to have heard them, thankfully – he really didn't want to have to explain that he had just stopped Mulciber from hexing her. She thought badly enough of his friends already.

"Lily – Lily, wait!"

She glanced over her shoulder. When she saw him, her expression became closed, distant, but at least she stopped. He took that as a good sign.

"What is it? I'm in a hurry."

He caught up with her and pulled her into a small classroom, shutting the door firmly behind them. "Listen, Lily, I'm sorry."

"You've already said that," she said, sounding cold.

"Lily, please, you know I didn't mean it – "

"It's over, Sev. I said it and I mean it."

He shook his head. "You don't," he said, certainty in his voice. "You're just angry. We've been friends for years, we're best friends, you can't just do this because I... because I accidentally called you a…"

She was shaking her head sadly, her long red hair swishing around her shoulders. "Sev, I meant it. I mean it."

"Lily – "

"You still haven't got it, have you? It's not because you called me a Mudblood."

He winced.

"It's because of who you're becoming," she said simply. "Sev, you're becoming a Death Eater. You're going to walk out of Hogwarts and go straight to You-Know-Who. And I can't ignore that anymore."

"I didn't say that – "

"Look at Avery! Look at Mulciber! They fool around with Dark Magic and you tell me that it was just a laugh – what's Dark Magic to you, then? Avada Kedevra? And anything less than that's just a laugh?"

"No! I just… I just…"

She looked cold again. "Forget it, Sev. I told you, you've chosen your way and I've chosen mine. And they're different, very different, because there's no way I'm ever joining You-Know-Who."

He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her and the books she was holding tumbled to the ground. "Lily, please – "

"Let go of – "

Just then, voices could be heard, growing louder, coming closer.

"We could go to Hogsmeade next."

"Check out Honeydukes, you mean? Wormtail, keep it up and the Willow gets a bigger target."

"The Forest is better, I want to check out the west side. I heard from Beren that's where Hagrid keeps the Thestrals."

"You couldn't see them anyway, why bother – "

The door opened and James Potter and his mates walked in.

The second Potter saw Snape holding Lily by the shoulders, his face darkened and he drew his wand. "Get your filthy hands off her, Snape," he said sharply.

Before he could reply, Lily said coldly, "It's none of your business, Potter." She shrugged free of his hands and bent to pick up the books.

"Hey, Evans, someone's got to stop the slimy git. You know what he tried to do to Mary the other day?"

"She said it's none of your business, so get the he-"

"Silencio," Potter said almost lazily. "Not everyone likes the sound of your voice, Snivelly."

"Stop it, Potter, I'm warning you," said Lily angrily. The books fell to the floor again as she pulled out her wand, muttered the counter curse and turned her wand on Potter.

"Evans, Evans, haven't we been through this before?" said Potter, sighing loudly.

"Yeah, but you don't seem to have got it through your fat head. Leave him alone."

Meanwhile, Snape pulled his wand out and next moment he had the satisfaction of seeing Potter freeze and fall to the floor. Pity he didn't break his nose.

"OI!" roared Black, and he barely had time to yell, "Protego!" before a jet of light flew at him.

"Severus, Sirius, STOP IT!" shrieked Lily. "I've had it with you guys! You can't seem to keep your wands off each other – Remus, don't just stand there, do something, you're a Prefect, for goodness' sake!"

Meanwhile, Pettigrew had removed the Body Bind Curse from Potter and he shot to his feet, his face red with anger, his knuckles white as he gripped his wand tightly.

"Not such a big man now, Potter?" sneered Snape. "Needing Black to back you up and Pettigrew to give you a hand – what a pathetic loser."

"You slimy little git – " snarled Potter, but Lupin grasped his arm firmly and he seemed to regain control of himself.

"Get out of here now, Potter, and take your mates with you," Lily said furiously. "I swear I'll give you detention one day if you don't watch your step."

Potter looked as though he couldn't care less but Lupin said quietly, "Let's go, Prongs. Padfoot, come on."

They left, Potter's face still red. Snape was breathing hard, glaring at the door as though it was Potter.

Lily picked up her books and turned to leave.

He remembered why he was in the room in the first place. "Lily, wait. I haven't finished – "

"I've finished. There's nothing more to say, Sev."

"Look, you… I… don't tell you're just going to turn your back on me forever."

"I told you, I meant what I said," she said wearily.

"You also said you wouldn't bother to stop Potter again," he pointed out and felt a fluttering of hope rise up in his chest.

"I would have done the same for Avery or Mulciber."

Her words stopped him cold.

Lily turned back. Those startlingly green eyes looked him straight in the eyes.

"We're over, Sev."

It finally sank in.

She went out. The door swung shut behind her, sounding final. She left the room and left his life and left him alone feeling like he wanted to throw up, a ball of misery twisting his insides.

That night, for the first time in a long, long while, Severus Snape had to smother the sound of his grief in his pillow.